Christmas Lullaby
by Calai'di
Summary: A trilogy of Christmas experiences. implied YuseixJack, implied KiryuxCrow, spoilers
1. The First Noel

AN: Happy Christmas, everyone! I wanted to post another fic today, but this one wouldn't leave me alone, so you get a holiday appropriate fic instead of the crack I was going to post. Enjoy!

Disclaimers: I don't own Yugioh 5D's.

Rating: T

Pairings: implied YuseixJack, implied KiryuxCrow

Warnings: EXTREME CUTENESS, cursing

Summary: A trilogy of Christmas experiences.

**

* * *

Christmas Lullaby**

**The First Noel  
**

"Martha, why is there a tree in the living room?" Crow asked, staring at the tree. It was rather pitiful, obviously half dead, and covered with lights and broken ornaments. A few wrapped packages lay under it.

It was the best thing he'd ever seen.

Martha smiled and placed a firm hand on his shoulder. "Tomorrow is Christmas. I thought it was about time to celebrate it. Can't let those city folks have all the fun."

"What's Christmas?" Jack asked. Crow noticed Yusei had a firm grasp on Jack's arm. Jack had probably tried to go for the presents as soon as he'd seen them.

"Christmas is a special day where a jolly elf named Santa Claus flies around the world and gives presents to all good little boys and girls." Martha winked, adding, "He hasn't come by yet, of course. Those are all from me and Ken."

"How?" Yusei asked.

"Santa has a magical sleigh and eight magical reindeer. They can lead him all around the world in one night."

"So, he's kind of like Daedalus, only better?" Crow asked eagerly.

Martha smiled down at him. "Kind of."

"Cool," Crow said, pumping his fists. "I can't wait for tomorrow!"

"Should we get presents for each other?" Yusei asked curiously.

"If you want to," Martha said.

Yusei nodded and got that look in his eyes that Crow knew meant he was planning something. He tugged on Jack's arm, gesturing for Crow to come too.

"Let's go look for something."

"We give each other stuff all the time," Jack protested as Yusei started dragging him out. "Why do we have to now?"

"I want to," Yusei answered.

Crow laughed and ran after them. He couldn't wait to find something for them that they would like.


	2. Stille Nacht

**Christmas Lullaby**

**Stille Nacht (Silent Night)  
**

The first Christmas after Kiryu had been hard. Especially since that had happened near the end of October, so none of them had much time to recover.

Crow had taken it especially hard. He had been closer to Kiryu than either Yusei or Jack, and he'd seen the murder happen. He insisted again and again that Kiryu had been saving him from getting put away and they should try to get him out somehow, but none of them really believed that. Even if that was Kiryu's goal, there were better ways than murder.

Yusei planned to spend Christmas with his Main Satellite group. Just from that, Jack knew there was something wrong. Yusei hadn't seemed to be effected as much by what had happened, but for him to ignore one of their yearly rituals...the Yusei he knew wouldn't do that.

Then Crow told him that he would probably be spending the day looking for another place to live where his little group of orphans would be safe. Jack knew then that he had to do something. He himself had been depressed for weeks after what had happened, but he wasn't about to let it stop them from celebrating Christmas together.

"Yusei," he said the night before Christmas Eve. "I want to spend Christmas with you. Without the others."

"I already told them I'd spend it with them. We can do next year—"

"We've always spent Christmas together, ever since Martha started doing it with us," Jack protested.

Yusei just looked at him with those calm eyes he always had when he thought Jack was being childish. Jack could see clearly now the pain that had clouded them. He couldn't believe he'd missed it before.

"Please don't talk about that," Yusei finally said, looking away again. Jack grabbed his arm and chin and forced his eyes back.

"We'll never get over it with we avoid each other," Jack said, staring into Yusei eyes, hoping he understood. "We have to forget about Kiryu, forget that he did this. If we don't pretend nothing happened, he'll never leave us alone. He'll always be controlling us."

"I don't want to forget Kiryu," Yusei said softly, almost in a whisper. But Jack could see that he understood, that he wanted to live again.

"Me neither," Jack answered, letting him go. Yusei smiled, though it was barely there. Still it was the first smile Jack had seen in two months and he would take what he could get.

"Where were you planning to do this?" Yusei asked.

"We'll see when we meet up with Crow," Jack answered with a shrug. Yusei nodded and went back to his work.

They left early Christmas morning, as soon as the sun had risen, since Yusei's new home was a fair distance from the bridge into B.A.D. Satellite. They didn't reach their old hideout until around noon, and by then, Crow was gone and clearly had been for a while.

"Did he say where he thought he might go?" Yusei asked.

"No, but it's obvious," Jack said. He pointed to the half arc shape in the distance. "He's obsessed with the Daedalus Bridge."

They didn't find Crow until late afternoon. He'd set up camp in a decrepit shack almost in the shadow of the Daedalus Bridge. When they found him, he was running about playing tag with his orphans, but something about the way he moved showed his heart wasn't in it.

He paused when he saw Jack and Yusei approaching. He stared at them for a moment, then he quickly ushered his kids to go eat dinner. He himself couldn't get away before they reached him.

"I don't want to see you guys," Crow said, crossing his arms.

"So? When has that ever stopped us?" Jack said, mirroring him. Crow snorted and looked away.

"Please leave. I know why you're here."

"Why?"

"For our stupid Chirstmas crap." Crow shook his head violently. "I'm never celebrating that stupid holiday again. I told you that."

"We brought presents," Yusei said. "We'll just leave them if you really want us to leave."

Crow's hands clenched on his arms. His shoulders were shaking. "Don't bother. I'll just throw them out."

Something caught Yusei's eye. He looked around for the light. Crow had set up a small plastic tree in the shack and had found flashing lights to put on it. Yusei look back at him. Crow was trying not to show that he'd noticed that Yusei had noticed.

"Do you really want us to leave?" Yusei asked quietly.

Crow tensed and started shaking more. Suddenly he turned on his heel and stalked into the shack, a loud "Damn it!" passing his lips.

Jack and Yusei glanced at each other before they followed him.

The first Christmas after Kiryu had been hard. Crow had taken it the worst, and he spent half the night cursing or trying to hide that he was crying. Yusei had almost left a couple times, eyes so full of pain that Jack had almost let him. Jack was surlier than usual, and he and Crow started sniping at each other more than once.

But once the day was over, and Yusei had fallen asleep against the wall, and Crow had fallen silent but didn't look ready to cry, and Jack had calmed down completely, everything felt like it had before the Incident. Jack felt comfortable helping Crow carry Yusei into the next room to lie him down on a threadbare futon. And it felt right for the three of them to fall asleep together again.

And the next morning, when they woke to find two inches of snow outside, they could almost pretend they were kids again.


	3. God Rest Ye Merry, Gentlemen

**Christmas Lullaby**

**God Rest Ye Merry, Gentlemen  
**

The sound of the doorbell surprised them. Yusei got up and went to see who it was. He hoped it wasn't Jack's secretary or Director Godwin. He and Jack had agreed that it would be nice to spend the first few hours of Christmas alone, and he might have to hurt anyone who got in the way of that.

He pressed a button on the viewer by the door and Crow's face appeared on the screen. Yusei's irritation left immediately. They could always make an exception for Crow.

Though how he'd gotten to Neo Domino was a mystery.

"Hey, Yusei, is this a bad time?" Crow asked. He must have seen Yusei's original annoyance.

"Of course not. You're always welcome," Yusei said.

"Great. I have a surprise for you guys. Can I come up?"

Yusei nodded and pressed another button that would open the doors to the complex below. Crow flashed him a grin and disappeared from the screen.

Yusei turned off the screen and walked back over to the couch. Jack looked up at him, a half opened present still in his lap.

"He's got a surprise, huh?" Jack snorted and rolled his eyes. "You know what kind of trouble his surprises _usually_ bring."

"He's family, and his surprises aren't always that bad."

There was knocking at the door. Yusei turned around to answer it, since he was already up.

Crow grinned when the door opened. "Hey, Yusei! Happy Christmas!"

Yusei didn't say anything. His attention was fixed on the person standing behind Crow.

"They're not usually that bad, huh?" Jack commented from the couch. He must have moved so he could see the door as well.

Yusei suddenly grabbed Crow, dragged him inside, and shut the door. "What is Kiryu doing here?" Yusei demanded before Crow could protest.

Crow frown. "I was about to explain that. Or, actually, I was going to let him explain it."

Yusei shook his head in disbelief. Crow had been there; he knew Kiryu was a Dark Signer. He knew the hatred Kiryu had for them know. Yusei couldn't imagine why Crow was still alive, in fact.

"Can I let him in?" Crow asked. "I swear, he won't try to kill you."

Yusei glanced at Jack. Jack's expression was grim, but he nodded. Crow nodded too and opened that door.

"I'm sorry, Yusei," Kiryu said as soon as the door opened. "I deserved that."

"Why are you here?" Yusei asked.

"I...came back to myself, I guess." Kiryu shrugged uncomfortably. "I woke up wandering around Satellite, near our old hangout. I don't remember how I got there. Crow found me while he was headed back to your place."

Yusei nodded, waiting for more. That explained why Kiryu looked normal—his eyes were white and gold again and the dark red Marker on his cheek was gone—but not why he was _here_.

"I wanted to spend Christmas with you guys," Kiryu added, giving them a nervous smile, "like we used to. Just the four of us. I brought presents."

"I thought you wanted to kill us," Jack said.

Kiryu looked away. "I know. I do—but I don't at the same time," he added hastily when Yusei flinched. "I know what I did was wrong. I deserved to be put away. But I know I'm a Dark Signer, and I still feel rage and hatred from that. But I don't have to act on those feelings, not while I'm like this."

Kiryu suddenly reached out and grabbed Yusei's hands, giving him the _look_, the one that had made Yusei follow him for a year. "I swear, Yusei. I don't want to hurt any of you. I can feel when my Dark Signer self starts taking over, and I'll leave before I can hurt you."

Yusei glanced at Crow and Jack. Jack looked just as disbelieving as he felt. Crow looked completely comfortable around Kiryu. And Crow seemed to trust him enough to think it would be okay to bring him here.

_Crow has a soft spot for Kiryu; he always has,_ a voice spoke up in his head.

And I've always had a soft spot for Jack, Yusei thought back. And they both betrayed us, and I forgave Jack.

"It would be nice to spend Christmas together again," Yusei finally said, giving Kiryu a faint smile.

Kiryu gave him a wide smile back. "Thank you, Yusei! I know I don't deserve it."

"Consider it my present to you," Yusei said. He glanced at Crow and jerked a thumb back at the tree. "You have a couple under the tree from me and Jack."

"Sweet!" Crow ran over to the tree and dropped to his knees so he could look.

"Right, presents!" Kiryu swung a bag off his back and pulled it open. "Here's yours," he said, set a box in Yusei's hands. "And here's Jack's..."

Yusei almost didn't want to open the box. It wasn't because he thought it might be harmful; their Kiryu wouldn't do something like that. It was because it was almost too good to be true, and if he opened the box, he would lose his proof that Kiryu could be saved.

Except that when it came to Christmas, he was still a child at heart. And he was too curious for his own good.

Yusei walked back over to the couch and sat next to Jack. Jack didn't seem to notice; he was too involved in opening his own present. Kiryu had sat next to Crow on the floor and was helping him tear the paper off a large box.

Yusei smiled and started opening his present. He'd missed this. Having Kiryu here with them again was the best present of all.


End file.
